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Thursday, April 14, 2016

Book Tour for The Sixth Chukker by Mickie B. Ashling (GIVEAWAY)

Fans of the m/m genre will find themselves enthralled by all the ups and downs in the family two men made for themselves in The Sixth Chukker by Mickie B. Ashling. Keep reading to get a tantalizing taste of this third installment in the Polo series, along with some other thoughts from Ms. Ashling, and then add it to your bookshelf. In honor of this intensely emotional read make sure to fill out the form below for the chance for four readers to win a $15 Dreamspinner Press GC or an e-copy of one of the books in the Polo series!

SOME WORDS FROM MS. ASHLING.....

The Sixth Chukker is the third book in my Polo Series. It continues three years after Ride-Off and fans of the first two novels will be in for a treat as the entire cast of characters—plus one sexy new addition—reunite in this ongoing saga of the Fawkes-Schnell clan. Reading the first two novels, Fire Horse and Ride-Off, will give you a better appreciation of the family dynamics. I hope you’ll come along for the ride as retired polo players Preston and Konrad deal with former lovers, demanding children, and old enemies.

I’d like to thank The Scarf Princess for giving me an opportunity to appear on this wonderful blog and share an exclusive excerpt of The Sixth Chukker. A special shout-out to my publicist for her consistent good work in organizing all my blog tours. As usual, I bring a few giveaways, which you’ll find in the Rafflecopter widget.

Retired polo players Preston Fawkes and Konrad Schnell have finally found the happiness that eluded them for years. Their stud farm is a big success, and their marriage couldn’t be healthier. Unfortunately, this idyllic life is disrupted by several unexpected sources. Paloma, Preston’s twenty-one-year-old daughter, is determined to be a 10 goal player before she turns thirty. Bandi, Konrad’s son, dreams of starting a family with his partner, Ned Temple. Paloma offers to surrogate if her father and stepfather come out of retirement and team up with her for one season.

Preston and Konrad would do anything to make their children happy, but they’re confronted with a stumbling block. Trauma specialist Dr. Rayne Carlisle refuses to sign off on the necessary paperwork unless Preston agrees to be his submissive for one week.

Caught between the proverbial rock and hard place, Preston and Konrad deal with disgruntled lovers, demanding children, and old enemies in this sequel to Ride-Off.

EXCERPT:

Konrad disappeared into the bathroom. He was out in less than five minutes, dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved blue chambray shirt that enhanced the color of his eyes. Unfortunately, Preston wouldn’t get a chance to admire the sparkling indigo while he was in this shitty mood. Wordlessly, Konrad sat on the edge of the bed and pulled on his dress boots. When he was done, he headed to the door.

“Where are you going?” Preston asked.

“Walking."

“Wait for me."

“I’d rather not."

Konrad was gone without a backward glance, and Preston fought the urge to run after him. He tried to take a nap but couldn’t get his mind off the argument. Wishful thinking was for chumps, he decided, and grabbing the bull by the horn—or in Carlisle’s case, by the balls—was the better option. He’d go back to the good doctor’s office and try to reason with the bastard. If nothing else, he could tell Konrad he’d tried. They’d spent too many years apart to waste one precious second arguing over a proposal that made no sense. If Carlisle really cared about Preston, as he claimed, he’d know this demand could potentially destroy Konrad. Carlisle, more than anyone, knew the severity of Konrad’s PTSD. What kind of a physician would put an ex-patient at risk simply to get revenge? Preston would walk away unscathed. His ability to separate love and sex was legendary, but Konrad didn’t have that skill set, and if it didn’t destroy what they had now, it would most certainly plant a seed of doubt in the big lug’s head, and Preston would spend the rest of his life trying to prove he was trustworthy.

When the cab pulled up to Carlisle’s office, Preston saw a familiar yellow-and-blue checkered police car sitting at the curb. His skin prickled, and a horrible sense of doom descended on him like the proverbial London fog. He tossed some money at the driver before they’d come to a complete stop, clambered out of the car, and rushed up the steps. Rayne Carlisle, MD, in big block letters was stamped on the shiny brass plate attached to the lacquered black door. Preston paused for a brief second but pushed through when he heard the shouting.

The commotion was coming from behind the closed door of Carlisle’s private office, and Preston didn’t even bother knocking. When he blundered into the room, he stopped dead. Konrad was standing by the desk silently watching as Carlisle’s secretary, normally calm and collected, was gesticulating wildly and explaining to the constable in a strident voice.

“As Dr. Carlisle’s secretary, I’m duty-bound to make sure we’re safe from crazy patients who have been known to fly off the handle on occasion. Mr. Schnell had no appointment but insisted on seeing the doctor. He pushed his way into the office, and when the sounds of an argument escalated into shouting, I picked up the phone and called 999."

“You did the right thing,” the constable said, nodding.

“Thank you,” she replied, looking like a terrified rabbit. She had the buck teeth to match the pinkish skin and trembled imperceptibly.

The constable looked from one face to the other and took notes. Konrad had a gash on his forehead, and blood was oozing out of it, dripping down his face and turning the normally handsome man into a macabre caricature straight out of Penny Dreadful.

Carlisle hadn’t fared any better. The unmistakable imprint of Konrad’s large hand shone like a rose tattoo around his neck, and he had an ugly shiner the size of a small grapefruit. Everyone looked in Preston’s direction as he walked in.

Ignoring him, Carlisle explained the situation to the policeman in a voice tight with suppressed anger. “A misunderstanding, Officer. I’m not pressing charges, nor is Mr. Schnell. In my opinion, Miss Owens overreacted when she heard our discussion and called the police precipitously. She should have checked with me first, and I would have told her to mind her own business."

“That’s all well and good, Dr. Carlisle, but now that I’m here and see for myself that your discussion escalated into an all-out brawl, I think I should take down more information. For posterity, mind you. If neither of you are pressing charges, there’s not much else I can do,” the officer intoned.

Mickie B. Ashling is the pseudonym of a multifaceted woman who is a product of her upbringing in multiple cultures, having lived in Japan, the Phillippines, Spain, and the Middle East. Fluent in three languages, she's a citizen of the world and an interesting mixture of East and West. A little bit of this and a lot of that have brought a unique touch to her literary voice she could never learn from textbooks.By the time Mickie discovered her talent for writing, real life got in the way, and the business of raising four sons took priority. With the advent of e-publishing--and the inevitable emptying nest--dreams of becoming a published writer were resurrected and she's never looked back.She stumbled into the world of men who love men in 2002 and continues to draw inspiration from their ongoing struggle to find equality and happiness in this oftentimes skewed and intolerant world. Her award-winning novels have been called "gut wrenching, daring, and thought provoking." She admits to being an angst queen and making her men work damn hard for their happy endings.Mickie currently resides in a suburb outside Chicago.

Jbst, thanks for the awesome comment regarding the post I put together. I'm totally Type A and color coordinate everything in my life, so I love that you noticed me doing that here too. Good luck in the giveaway as this is a very satisfying series!

My Book Rating System...

Based on a standard school grading sytem:

-anything with an A is pretty darn great-anything with a B is pretty darn good-anything with a C has some issues with it.-anything with a D has a lot of issues with it-anything with an F is pretty bad and should be avoided

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For some of my reviews, I receive books and other products from those who produce them in exchange for my HONEST opinion. There's NO monetary exchange for any of my reviews. For any other reviews, I state how I received the item before posting my honest opinion. Again, there is NO MONETARY compensation for ANY of my reviews.